NBC Rides 'Dateline' to Friday Night Win

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Fast National ratings for Friday, April 18, 2008

TV Viewers were in a newsmagazine mood on Friday night, with NBC leading the charge with a 4.5 rating/8 share for the night on the strength of a two-hour "Dateline NBC." CBS was second with a 4.2/8, followed by FOX (3.2/6), ABC (2.7/5) and The CW (2.5/5).

Among viewers 18-to-49, NBC was also tops with 1.8/6. CBS was again second with a 1.5, followed by FOX (1.3), The CW (1.2) and ABC (1.1).

CBS started off the night in the lead with a "Ghost Whisperer" repeat, 4.4/8. NBC's "Most Outrageous Moments" took a 3.5/7 for the hour, giving the network a slight advantage over FOX's "House" repeat, 3.3/6. ABC's "Desperate Housewives" repeat tied with the first hour of The CW's usual Friday night wrestling block.

At 9 p.m., NBC took the lead with "Dateline NBC," 4.9/9. CBS slipped to second with "Moonlight," 3.5/6, and FOX maintained third place with the season finale of "Canterbury's Law," 3.2/6. The CW's second hour of "Friday Night Smackdown" mustered a 2.6/5, leaving ABC's "Duel" in last place ofr the hour with a 2.1/4.

A 5.1/9 secured NBC's vistory at 10 p.m., while CBS also had its best hour of the night courtesy of "Numb3rs," 4.6/8. ABC also perked up a bit from the previous hours thanks to "20/20," 3.6/7.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.